Pages - Access

Pages - Access

Introduction

People wishing to conduct research using the Florida Department of Education’s Education Data Warehouse (EDW) must submit a research proposal according to the guidelines outlined below.

Research requests should be focused and demonstrate a direct relationship between the data elements requested and the research questions posed. While the State of Florida collects a vast array of information at all levels of education, data provided for a single research request is limited to the extent possible in order to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of our data.

In making a request for data to support research, the user must understand:

1. The individual character of the data, even when it is anonymized¹, is exempt from public records law and is highly confidential under state and federal law; therefore, the Florida Department of Education is under no obligation to provide these data.
2. In all cases, data will not be provided unless there is a clear connection to policy or program evaluation that serves students and the education systems of Florida. In effect, should a request be considered, the work would have to be viewed as being done on behalf of The Florida Department of Education.
3. The EDW was conceived and developed as a tool to serve the education information interests of the Legislature, the Governor, Florida Department of Education, public education systems as well as the general public. Its primary purpose is to support funding of local education agencies, required state and federal reporting, education accountability, and public reporting. While desiring to support research projects outside the Department, workload priorities must be considered and balanced. Once a research proposal is approved, it is integrated into the work schedules of staff according to an assigned priority level. From time-to-time, schedules are altered to address concerns from the Governor, the Legislature, or the State Board of Education. Unfortunately, this may mean that the Education Data Warehouse (EDW) cannot deliver information in accord with timelines required by the research.
4. The user must have an existing knowledge of Florida education policies, understand these policies, and use information obtained from EDW in a manner consistent with these policies.